Charisma Osborne welcomed back graciously by teammates, Nate Tibbetts after she re-signed with Mercury

From being drafted by the Phoenix Mercury in April to being waived almost a month later without playing a game, guard Charisma Osborne has re-signed with Phoenix for the rest of the season, showing her will to persevere through adversity in her young WNBA career.

After reports broke Thursday that Morgan Bertsch was to be waived by the Mercury, there were going to be 10 of a possible 12 roster spots full and two openings up for grabs. With Brittney Griner coming back from a toe fracture on her left foot and Rebecca Allen returning from concussion protocol, it prompted Phoenix to figure out what kind of player they were missing.

While Osborne became a free agent shortly after the Mercury held its training camp in San Diego at the beginning of May, head coach Nate Tibbetts was impressed with what she had shown before and glad she is back.

“We thought Charisma had a great camp and we are excited she is back,” Tibbetts said after the Mercury’s shootaround on Friday. “I think defensively, she is a competitive spirit. She can guard ones, twos or threes, she is tough, physical and she still has the ball handling that we can add.”

Osborne played 152 games across five collegiate seasons (2019-23) at UCLA. She averaged 14.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 32.9 minutes per game for the Bruins.

Standing at 5-foot-9, the California native brings defensive tenacity, and smart basketball IQ to the Mercury, not afraid to use her physicality on both ends of the floor.

Fresh off of signing with Phoenix on Friday, she was on the bench and available for selection but did not play for Phoenix in their 103-99 loss to the Las Vegas Aces.

Even though Osborne did not make her WNBA debut, Mercury guard Sophie Cunningham believes the rookie will soon see action for Phoenix due to what she can provide for the team.

“She’s awesome,” Cunningham said. “I think a lot of people don’t understand that she is really good defensively. She might be short, but man is she strong. We are happy to have her back. She can handle the ball, she can shoot, she can get to the rim. She just has to stay ready, her time will come eventually. Good person to have in the locker room as well.”

Chiming in right after Cunningham’s response, Mercury legend Diana Taurasi kept it simple with her thoughts on Osborne.

“It’s a great lesson for young kids that go into a camp, and be someone that a team likes,” Taurasi said. “We like her.”

With a game vs. the red-hot Seattle Storm on Sunday, it is the next opportunity for Osborne to show what she is capable of at the WNBA level. The Mercury takes on the Storm on Sunday at 12 p.m. PT inside Footprint Center.